Transcriptomics‐based identification and characterization of genes related to sugar metabolism in ‘Hongshuijing’ pitaya

Zhike Zhang; Yemiao Xing; Muthusamy Ramakrishnan; Canbin Chen; Fangfang Xie; Qingzhu Hua; Jianye Chen; Rong Zhang; Jietang Zhao; Guibing Hu; Yonghua Qin

Horticultural Plant Journal (Jul 2022)

Transcriptomics‐based identification and characterization of genes related to sugar metabolism in ‘Hongshuijing’ pitaya

Zhike Zhang,
Yemiao Xing,
Muthusamy Ramakrishnan,
Canbin Chen,
Fangfang Xie,
Qingzhu Hua,
Jianye Chen,
Rong Zhang,
Jietang Zhao,
Guibing Hu,
Yonghua Qin

Affiliations

Zhike Zhang: State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agrobioresources/ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Postharvest Science of Fruits and Vegetables/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (South China), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Yemiao Xing: State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agrobioresources/ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Postharvest Science of Fruits and Vegetables/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (South China), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Muthusamy Ramakrishnan: Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China; Bamboo Research Institute, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Canbin Chen: State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agrobioresources/ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Postharvest Science of Fruits and Vegetables/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (South China), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Fangfang Xie: State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agrobioresources/ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Postharvest Science of Fruits and Vegetables/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (South China), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Qingzhu Hua: State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agrobioresources/ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Postharvest Science of Fruits and Vegetables/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (South China), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Jianye Chen: State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agrobioresources/ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Postharvest Science of Fruits and Vegetables/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (South China), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Rong Zhang: State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agrobioresources/ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Postharvest Science of Fruits and Vegetables/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (South China), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Jietang Zhao: State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agrobioresources/ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Postharvest Science of Fruits and Vegetables/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (South China), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Guibing Hu: State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agrobioresources/ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Postharvest Science of Fruits and Vegetables/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (South China), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Yonghua Qin: State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agrobioresources/ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Postharvest Science of Fruits and Vegetables/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (South China), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; Corresponding author.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 8, no. 4
pp. 450 – 460

Abstract

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Sugar composition not only affects fruit flavor but is also an important determinant of fruit taste and consumer preference. In this study, changes in the sugar content and sugar-metabolizing enzymes were investigated from different sections of various fruit development phases of ‘Hongshuijing’ pitaya (Hylocereus monacanthus). Genes related to sugar metabolism were also screened by transcriptome analyses. The results indicated that glucose was the major sugar in mature pitaya fruit, and was mainly regulated by vacuolar acid invertase (VAI) and sucrose synthase (SS) (degradative direction). Sugar accumulation varied in pulp between different sections of the pitaya fruit. VAI, neutral invertase (NI) and SS (degradative direction) are crucial enzymes for sugar accumulation in pitaya. The expression of 17 genes related to sucrose metabolism obtained from seven databases [NCBI non-redundant protein database (Nr), NCBI non-redundant nucleotide sequence database (Nt), EuKaryotic Orthologous Groups (KOG), The Protein Families (Pfam), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), Swiss-prot, and Gene Ontology (GO)] were analyzed in different pitaya pulp sections. HpVAI1 had the highest relative expression level on the 29th day after pollination (DAP). Positive correlations were found between HpVAI1 expression and VAI activity; HpNI4 and NI activity; HpSS2, HpSS5, and SS activity (synthetic direction), indicating that HpVAI1, HpNI4, and HpSS2 and HpSS5 were involved in the regulation of VAI, NI, and SS (synthetic direction), respectively. HpVAI1 and HpNI4 regulated sucrose degradation and the accumulation of glucose and fructose, while HpSS2 and HpSS5 regulated sucrose synthesis. These results suggest that HpVAI1 plays a key role in sugar metabolism during fruit development of ‘Hongshuijing’ pitaya. The results of this study provide new information about sugar metabolism in pitaya fruit that could help improve fruit quality and the breeding of new cultivars.

Published in Horticultural Plant Journal

ISSN: 2095-9885 (Print); 2468-0141 (Online)
Publisher: KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
Country of publisher: China
LCC subjects: Agriculture: Plant culture
Website: https://www.keaipublishing.com/en/journals/horticultural-plant-journal/

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